Domestic appliance



Oct. 8, 1957 G. w. scHAuEk, JR 2,809,267

- DOMESTIC APPLIANCE Filed March 27, 1 956 50/;\\ I I J iq Q: I zs Z0 asZ6\ I5? t: l I I H 1 HI! 4 m w \52 INVENTOR. I Z G' ealge W: schauer,Jr.

H I5 ATTORNEY United States Patent eral Motors Corporation, Detroit,Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application March 27, 1956, Serial No.574,299

4 Claims. (Cl. 219-38) This invention relates to a domestic applianceand more particularly to storage type water heaters.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, inexpensivecontrol for the admission of unheated water to a storage type hot waterheater so that substantially an entire tank full of hot water may bedrawn therefrom without any substantial intermixture therewith of theincoming unheated water.

These and other objects are attained in the form shown in the drawing inwhich there is provided within the bottom of the storage tank a braidedtube of spun glass fiber closed at one end and having its opposite endconnected to the cold water inlet of a storage type hot water heater.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearlyshown.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view partly in vertical section of a storage type hotwater heater embodying one form of my invention; and

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the spun fiber glass braidedsleeve as shown in Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 1, there is shown a storagetype heater including an inner tank 20 provided with a concave bottom 22and an outlet 24 at the top. The tank 20 is provided with a cold waterinlet pipe 26 extending through the side wall of the tank 20 adjacentthe bottom 22. The tank 20 is enclosed in suitable heat insulation 28which in turn is enclosed within the outer metal walls 30 which may beprovided with suitable ornamental finish. The outer metal walls 30 areprovided with a transverse bottom wall 32 which supports the bottom ofthe tank 20. The tank 20 is provided with a lower electric heater 34 ofthe tubular sheath type adjacent the bottom wall 22. This electricheater may be connected to a suitable source of electrical energy underthe control of a suitable thermostatic switch 36 and if desired a timerfor elf-peak current consumption. The switch 36 is responsive to thetemperature of the adjacent portion of the tank 20 to deenergize theheater 34. Also, if desired, a top heater may be provided.

According to my invention I connect to the cold water inlet 26 thebraided spun glass fiber sleeve or tube 38 closed at one end by a plug40 within the sleeve and a metal band 42 surrounding the sleeve 38. Atthe opposite end, the sleeve 38 is provided with a metal band 44 whichin turn is connected to a nipple 46 connecting directly with the end ofthe cold water inlet pipe 26. Within the sleeve 38 is an inner ferrule45. The sleeve 38 is held in between the ferrules 44 and 45 and iscemented there- 2,809,267 Patented Oct. 8, 1957 to by an epoxy cement39. The braided spun fiber glass sleeve 38 is pervious and hasinnumerable minute openings therein which allow the incoming coldunheated water to enter the bottom of the tank 20 without setting up orinducing any substantial turbulence therein so that the hot water willremain Stratified above the cold water as the hot water is drawn throughthe top outlet 24 and is replaced by the cold unheated water enteringthrough the sleeve 38. The sleeve 38 preferably is made suflicientlylong to extend substantially across the tank 20 which may besubstantially cylindrical. However if desired the sleeve 38 may be madelonger or shorter. Soldered to and extending between the ferrule 45 andthe plug 40 is a heavy copper wire 43 which keeps the sleeve 38stretched across the bottom of the tank 20. The diameter of the sleeve38 may be proportioned according to the diameter of the cold water inlet26. If desired the sleeve 38 may extend around the inside of the bottomof the tank 20.

As a second form of the invention the sleeve 38 may be made of braidedcopper wire or of braided filament polyamide or polyester. It also maybe closed in a similar manner at one end connected to the cold waterinlet pipe 26 at the opposite end.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosedconstitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claims whichfollow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A hot water heater including an upright cylindrical tank having aside cold water inlet adjacent the bottom and a hot water outletadjacent the top, heating means for heating the water in the tank, and atube within the tank connected at one end to said cold water inlet andhaving its opposite end closed, and extending near to the side of thetank opposite the inlet, said tube being very finely pervious throughoutover the greater portion of the distance across the tank.

2. A hot water heater including a tank having a cold water inletadjacent the bottom and a hot water outlet adjacent the top, heatingmeans for heating the water in the tank, and a tube within the tankconnected at one end to said cold water inlet and having its oppositeend closed, said tube being of pervious woven material over the greaterportion of its length.

3. A hot water heater including a tank having a cold water inletadjacent the bottom and a hot water outlet adjacent the top, heatingmeans for heating the water in the tank, and a tube within the tankconnected at one end to said cold water inlet and having its oppositeend closed, said tube being of pervious woven spun fiber glass over thegreater portion of its length.

4. A hot water heater including a tank having a cold water inletadjacent the bottom and a hot water outlet adjacent the top, heatingmeans for heating the water in the tank, and a tube within the tankconnected at one end to said cold water inlet and having its oppositeend closed, said tube being of pervious woven material over the greaterportion of its length, and a wire extending within said tubesubstantially from one end to the other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,356,881 Osgood Oct. 26, 1920 1,698,561 Ransom Ian. 8, 1929 2,576,603Hines et al. Nov. 27, 1951

